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Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Tim Walz continues national tour in South Carolina head of potential 2028 run
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn talk to reporters at Clyburn's annual fish fry Friday, May 30, 2025. (Photo by Shaun Chornobroff/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA — Minutes before 10 p.m. Friday, after Democratic speakers led the audience in jeers to Republicans' efforts to slash jobs and health care and encouraged people to get involved, line dancing broke out. That mix of politics and fun, mostly the latter, is what makes U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn's annual fish fry in the state's capital city so popular, attendees said. 'We all came out, and everybody's enjoying themselves,' said Shantell Zimmerman, 58, of Columbia. 'It brings out the community,' agreed Dionne Brown, 55, of Irmo, who's been attending the event for six years. 'Then we actually get to discuss our views and takeaways.' Hundreds of people attended the event that started in 1992, the year voters first elected Clyburn to the 6th Congressional District, as a thank you to the voters who couldn't afford the Democratic Party's high-dollar fundraisers. Over time, the 'World Famous Annual Fish Fry' — which includes free food and drinks — has become a must-attend event for Democrats seeking local, statewide and national office. This year was no different, even if Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — Kamala Harris' 2024 running mate — said they're not running for the 2028 nomination. 'I know I'm not running,' Moore told reporters Friday. 'But the thing I'm also very clear about is that anyone who's talking about 2028 is not taking 2025 very seriously.' Moore and Walz, as well as Clyburn and former Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison of Columbia, emphasized the importance of focusing on what's happening now in Washington, D.C. Proposed cuts to government safety nets like Medicaid and billionaire Elon Musk's efforts to rapidly slash federal spending were among the topics the governors touched on Friday during speeches at the fish fry, as well as the Blue Palmetto Fundraising Dinner the same night. 'I taught school long enough to know it's because they're weak and they're bullies, and when you stand up to them, they fade away,' said Walz, a former high school geography teacher. Their addresses at the events in South Carolina — which last year got promoted from holding the Democratic Party's first-in-the-South to first-in-the-nation presidential primary — sounded a lot like campaign speeches. Walz also spoke at the South Carolina Democratic Party's annual convention on Saturday. Lucy Owens, an Anderson County delegate to the state convention, discounted the governors' refusals, saying the 2028 presidential campaign has clearly begun. 'They're all going to come through here. They're the first ones,' she said. In 2019, the fish fry drew 21 potential candidates hoping to appeal to South Carolina Democrats. The following year, Joe Biden won the South Carolina Democratic primary, a victory that ended up vaulting him to the presidency, aided by Clyburn's endorsement. South Carolina's primary was elevated for 2024 as Biden's thank you to the state. With Biden gone, the Democratic party in flux, and Harrison no longer leading the national party, South Carolina maintaining its first-in-the-nation status is in question. Clyburn's comments Friday suggest he knows the state won't keep it. He doesn't care if the state is first, he said, just that it's early. 'The most important hitter on a team is the cleanup hitter. He comes in fourth place,' Clyburn told reporters at his event. 'I'm not concerned about whether or not we're first, second, third,' he said. 'Please, let us be at least four.' That would take South Carolina back to having the first primary in the South, potentially behind contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada. In the aftermath of Trump's landslide victory and the Republican Party gaining control of both chambers of Congress, the Democratic Party is in a reset. Walz and Moore, the first Black governor in Maryland's history, are among the early faces of it. Winning South Carolina, which changed the trajectory of Biden's 2020 presidential run, will be crucial for Democratic hopefuls. Owens, the Anderson County delegate, pointed to the stage where Walz and Moore spoke, saying every Democrat who wants to be president will eventually appear in that exact spot. 'They got to come through here. Not South Carolina. They got to go right there,' she said. Both governors received raucous ovations from South Carolina Democrats, drawing cheers, standing ovations and even a few laughs as they took shots at the GOP. Owens said 'they're both very great candidates,' and she's 'excited' to hear more from them over the coming years. That was the general consensus from attendees who spoke with the SC Daily Gazette. However, they were significantly more familiar with Walz because of his time on the campaign trail last year with Vice President Harris. 'I know less about Wes Moore than I do about Tim Walz, but I think he's a good speaker,' said Laura Lowery, a 69-year-old from Fountain Inn. 'I think he's done a good job in his state as well.' Moore has recently come under fire for vetoing a bill that would establish a commission to examine state and federal policies from 1877 to 1965 and come up with recommendations for reparations. South Carolina Rep. John King, D-Rock Hill, asked the state party to remove Moore as the keynote speaker of Friday's Blue Palmetto Dinner. Party leaders never responded to questions about that request. But for at least some attendees, the veto perturbed them too. 'I didn't understand why he would do that,' said Tonya Winbush of Anderson. But once Winbush, a 50-year-old Army veteran, heard Moore speak about his time in the Army, as well as his pardoning of 175,000 cannabis convictions, her opinion changed. 'I think when you don't know the whole story and you just listen to sound bites, which is what we do a lot, we'll make brash judgments about people, when we are really fighting the same fight,' she said. This story first appeared in South Carolina Daily Gazette, a sibling site of the Minnesota Reformer and part of the States Newsroom nonprofit news network.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Potential 2028 presidential hopefuls steal show at Fish Fry, Dem weekend
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks at Jim Clyburn's Fish Fry on Friday, May 30, 2025. (Photo by Shaun Chornobroff/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA — Minutes before 10 p.m. Friday, after Democratic speakers led the audience in jeers to Republicans' efforts to slash jobs and health care and encouraged people to get involved and vote, line dancing broke out. That mix of politics and fun, mostly the latter, is what makes U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn's annual fish fry in the state's capital city so popular, attendees said. 'We all came out, and everybody's enjoying themselves,' said Shantell Zimmerman, 58, of Columbia. 'It brings out the community,' agreed Dionne Brown, 55, of Irmo, who's been attending the event for six years. 'Then we actually get to discuss our views and takeaways.' Hundreds of people attended the event that started in 1992, the year voters first elected Clyburn to the 6th Congressional District, as a thank you to the voters who couldn't afford the Democratic Party's high-dollar fundraisers. Over time, the 'World Famous Annual Fish Fry' — which includes free food and drinks — has become a must-attend event for Democrats seeking local, statewide and national office. This year was no different, even if Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — Kamala Harris' 2024 running mate — said they're not running for the 2028 nomination. 'I know I'm not running,' Moore told reporters Friday. 'But the thing I'm also very clear about is that anyone who's talking about 2028 is not taking 2025 very seriously.' Moore and Walz, as well as Clyburn and former Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison of Columbia, emphasized the importance of focusing on what's happening now in Washington, D.C. Proposed cuts to government safety nets like Medicaid and billionaire Elon Musk's efforts to rapidly slash federal spending were among the topics the governors touched on Friday during speeches at the fish fry, as well as the Blue Palmetto Fundraising Dinner the same night. 'I taught school long enough to know it's because they're weak and they're bullies, and when you stand up to them, they fade away,' said Walz, a former high school geography teacher. While both declined that they're running for president, there's wide speculation otherwise. Their addresses at the events in South Carolina — which last year got promoted from holding the Democratic Party's first-in-the-South to first-in-the-nation presidential primary — sounded a lot like campaign speeches. Walz will also speak Saturday at the state Democratic Party's annual convention. Lucy Owens, an Anderson County delegate to the state convention, discounted the governors' refusals, saying the 2028 presidential campaign has clearly begun. 'They're all going to come through here. They're the first ones,' she said. In 2019, the fish fry drew more than 20 potential candidates hoping to appeal to South Carolina Democrats. The following year, Joe Biden won the South Carolina Democratic primary, a victory that ended up vaulting him to the presidency. South Carolina's primary was elevated for 2024 as Biden's thank you to the state. With Biden gone, the Democratic party in flux, and Harrison no longer leading the national party, South Carolina maintaining its first-in-the-nation status is in question. Clyburn's comments Friday suggest he knows it won't. He doesn't care if the state is first, just that it's early, he said. 'The most important hitter on a team is the cleanup hitter. He comes in fourth place,' Clyburn told reporters at his event. 'I'm not concerned about whether or not we're first, second, third. Please, let us be at least four,' he said. That would take South Carolina back to having the first primary in the South. In the aftermath of Trump's landslide victory and the Republican Party gaining control of both chambers of Congress, the Democratic Party is in a reset. Walz and Moore, the first Black governor in Maryland's history, are among the early faces of it. Winning South Carolina, which changed the trajectory of Biden's 2020 presidential run, will be crucial for Democratic hopefuls. Owens, the Anderson County delegate, pointed to the stage where Walz and Moore spoke, saying every Democrat who wants to be president will eventually appear in that exact spot. 'They got to come through here. Not South Carolina. They got to go right there,' she said. Both governors received raucous ovations from South Carolina Democrats, drawing cheers, standing ovations and even a few laughs as they took shots at the GOP. Owens said 'they're both very great candidates,' and she's 'excited' to hear more from them over the coming years. That was the general consensus from attendees who spoke with the SC Daily Gazette. However, they were significantly more familiar with Walz because of his time on the campaign trail last year with Vice President Harris. 'I know less about Wes Moore than I do about Tim Walz, but I think he's a good speaker,' said Laura Lowery, a 69-year-old from Fountain Inn. 'I think he's done a good job in his state as well.' Moore has recently come under fire for vetoing a bill that would establish a commission to examine state and federal policies from 1877 to 1965 and come up with recommendations for reparations. South Carolina Rep. John King, D-Rock Hill, asked the state party to remove Moore as the keynote speaker of Friday's Blue Palmetto Dinner. Party leaders never responded to questions about that request. But for at least some attendees, the veto perturbed them too. 'I didn't understand why he would do that,' said Tony Winbush of Anderson. But once Winbush, a 50-year-old Army veteran, heard Moore speak about his time in the Army, as well as his pardoning of 175,000 cannabis convictions, her opinion changed. 'I think when you don't know the whole story and you just listen to sound bites, which is what we do a lot, we'll make brash judgments about people, when we are really fighting the same fight,' she said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
SC House Democrat says he's exploring run for governor
Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Columbia, pictured on the South Carolina Statehouse grounds on Sept. 18, 2024 (File/Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA — After five sessions in the state House, Rep. Jermaine Johnson might make a bid for the Governor's Mansion. The Columbia Democrat announced Saturday he's forming a committee to assess support and engage with voters statewide, which is considered a step toward launching an official run. 'From expanding economic opportunity and improving education to advocating for criminal justice reform and protecting working families, I've stood side-by-side with South Carolinians through every challenge,' Johnson said in a press release. 'Now, I'm exploring what it would mean to take that work to the Governor's Office to serve all of the people of South Carolina.' The father of four — who turns 40 on July 4 — did not offer a timeline on his decision. Filing for the June 2026 primaries isn't until mid-March. Johnson is the first Democrat to announce interest in seeking the job as the state's CEO. He recognizes it would be an uphill battle for any Democrat in South Carolina. No Democrat has won the office since Jim Hodges in 1998. The last Democrat to win any statewide office was Jim Rex in 2006, when he became state superintendent of education by fewer than 500 votes. 'South Carolina is at a crossroads,' Johnson said. 'We need leadership that listens, leads with integrity, and puts people before politics.' No Republican has officially announced a bid for governor, but six have said they're considering it: Lt. Gov. Pam Evette, Attorney General Alan Wilson; U.S. House Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman; and state Sens. Josh Kimbrell and Sean Bennett. The race is wide open since Gov. Henry McMaster can't seek another term. He's already the longest-serving elected governor in state history, since he ascended to the job in January 2017 — when Nikki Haley became President Donald Trump's first United Nations ambassador — giving him two years in office before his first inauguration. Regardless of whether Johnson decides to make a gubernatorial run, he said he 'wholeheartedly plans' to still run for re-election to the state House seat representing parts of Richland and Kershaw counties. South Carolina law allows candidates to seek more than one office at the same time. They just can't hold multiple offices simultaneously. If they win more than one in an election, they have to make a choice. Johnson first won a seat in the Statehouse in 2020, when he ousted 22-year veteran Rep. Jimmy Bales in the Democratic primary. Two years later, the elections gave Republicans a supermajority in the chamber. The 2024 elections gave the GOP a supermajority in the Senate too. That doesn't stop Johnson from making sure his colleagues know where he stands. And even if Republicans have no intention of supporting his argument, they listen. 'For years, I've worked to uplift our communities — not just with words, but with action,' Johnson said in the release. During the chamber's May 7 debate on the roughly $14.5 billion state budget, he put up 37 amendments to protest a decision by the chambers' chief budget writers not to fund any local projects, known as earmarks, this year. All failed, but he ensured his colleagues knew more about some of the projects they were dismissing. Three weeks later, as the House voted on the final budget deal, Rep. Joe White brought up Johnson's fight while scolding his GOP colleagues. The Newberry County Republican noted he voted for Johnson's first amendment. 'He put up some good amendments, and what did we do?' said White, a member of the uber-conservative Freedom Caucus. 'We ran roughshod over every one of them.' His comments also show that Johnson's well-liked across the political spectrum. 'I love Jermaine,' White said. Johnson, born in Los Angeles, has a compelling life story, which became the subject of a documentary titled 'I Got Myself a Yard,' released last fall. Homeless in his teens, Johnson earned a basketball scholarship to the College of Charleston. His 1,276 points still rank 21st in program history and led to a spot in a developmental league for NBA prospects before stints playing professionally in Canada, Portugal, Mexico and Brazil. After his basketball career, he returned to South Carolina, starting New Economic Beginnings Foundation, a nonprofit aimed to aid troubled children and military veterans. In 2018, he founded Dream Team Consulting firm, and he's an adjunct professor at Midlands Technical College. Ahead of his own run for the Statehouse, Johnson was the state campaign chair for Andrew Yang's 2020 bid for president, which ended ahead of the South Carolina primary. 'I believe in a South Carolina where every child, every family, and every community has the opportunity to thrive — and I'm ready to explore how we make that vision a reality,' he said.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Officials praise new law criminalizing ‘revenge porn.' SC was the last state to ban it.
Gov. Henry McMaster speaks about a new law criminalizing what's commonly called "revenge porn" at a signing ceremony Thursday, May 29, 2025. Behind him from left to right is Rep. Chris Wooten, Attorney General Alan Wilson and Lt. Gov. Pam Evette. (Photo by Shaun Chornobroff/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster praised a new law criminalizing the nonconsensual sharing of intimate images, also known as 'revenge porn,' which lawmakers said Thursday was long overdue. Since last June, when a law in Massachusetts took effect, South Carolina had been the only state in the nation that didn't ban the distribution of nude photos of someone without permission. The Palmetto State ban applies to photos and videos. Those include fake images made through artificial intelligence or any other technology that are 'indistinguishable from an authentic visual depiction of the individual.' Thursday's celebratory signing at the Statehouse comes 10 days after President Donald Trump signed a similar bill into law. 'We've seen tragedies occur. We've seen these crimes occur. But this particular one in South Carolina was not a crime at the time, but it is now,' said McMaster, who actually signed the bill into law on May 12. It took effect immediately. Differences between the new state and federal laws include the punishment. Here's how you can use the Take It Down Act Under the federal 'Take It Down Act,' the maximum penalty is a $5,000 fine and two years in prison — three years if the victim is a minor. In South Carolina, the same crime is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. For any additional conviction, the violator faces up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The exception would be someone who can prove there was no intent to damage the victim's reputation or cause harm. That would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail on first offense only. A provision in the federal law additionally gives victims a way to get a photo or video removed from social media. But that part, which requires online platforms to create a request-and-removal process, doesn't take effect until next year. Rep. Brandon Guffey said the state law's passage signifies an age shift in the Legislature. 'It shows that there is a new generation within the Statehouse that understands cybercrimes,' said the Rock Hill Republican. Rep. Chris Wooten, the lead sponsor for several years, has said previous efforts died not because of opposition, but rather a lack of understanding of the problem — or that it existed. The Lexington Republican started pushing for the legislation after his work on an oversight committee made him realize law enforcement had no way of prosecuting people who spread images without consent — but weren't doing it for profit. He pre-filed his first bill in December 2022. At the time, South Carolina was among three states that didn't criminalize it. That bill died last year without ever getting a hearing. Wooten pre-filed another bill ahead of this year's session. This time, it passed both chambers unanimously before getting the governor's signature. 'I want to continue to protect not only our daughters, wives and significant others, but our sons too,' Wooten said in McMaster's office for the public signing. In 2023, the Legislature passed a law banning sexual extortion, often called 'sextortion,' when someone uses sexual photos or videos to blackmail people. That law is named Gavin's Law after Guffey's 17-year-old son, who died by suicide three years ago after a scammer posing as a college girl on Instagram threatened to release explicit photos unless he kept sending them money. Nigerian man faces life in a US prison for sextortion that led to death of SC legislator's son A Nigerian man was extradited earlier this year to the U.S. to face federal charges for the scam. But Gavin's Law applies only if money is involved, not if someone is using it embarrass, humiliate or harm someone's reputation. Beyond leading for the more protections in South Carolina law, Guffey traveled to Washington, D.C., in February to call on Congress to pass the federal version of what's commonly called 'revenge porn.' He was among attendees at the White House ceremony May 19 when Trump signed it into law. Attorney General Alan Wilson said he prefers the South Carolina version because of the tougher penalties. 'Thank you for what you did,' Wilson said of the law's passage. 'Now we can get to work.' Other laws passed this year will also help his office protect children, he said. Those include two bills criminalizing the use of AI — or any other technology — to create or morph images and videos of children into inappropriate content. Another new law, one that Wilson lauded as a 'game changer', granted his office power to subpoena websites and internet providers to locate people suspected of accessing child pornography, speeding up these investigations. These new laws will 'make it better for us to be able to go after people who exploit those using the internet,' Wilson said. All of those laws passed in the final days of this year's legislative session, which officially ended May 8. Better late than never, McMaster said. 'Some folks say in politics, 'nothing gets done without a deadline,'' he said in his office, before sitting down for the public signing. 'It takes legislation a long time to pass. Sometimes, it takes way too long.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
SC governor celebrates new law aimed at reducing insurance costs for restaurants, businesses
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, ceremoniously signed a law that aims to put the brakes on rising insurance costs faced by businesses. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster celebrated a law Wednesday that aims to put the brakes on rising insurance costs faced by businesses, especially bars and restaurants, in the Palmetto State. The new law, which the governor actually signed last week, gives establishments that sell alcohol options, as well as requirements, for reducing their minimum insurance coverage. It also reforms state rules surrounding personal injury lawsuits and how financial responsibility for fault is assigned while still ensuring victims are fully compensated. While the ceremony at the Statehouse was celebratory, several legislators were quick to remind the crowd the issue is far from over, even after the late-session compromise that made Wednesday's public signing possible. 'Progress on important policy matters is often frustratingly slow and incremental,' Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said. 'Today is a recognition of a step in the right direction, but it is a small step.' Senators give final OK to bill that aims to keep restaurants open, reduce business costs The Edgefield Republican ran point on the so-called tort reform effort and led negotiations to reach the final compromise that, in his mind, fell short of the broader bill passed by the Senate following an intense and, at times, combative debate. 'My hope is that this small step is not the only step,' Massey added. 'And that we use this small step to generate momentum for meaningful change that will then allow us to celebrate something that really matters.' For his part, House Judiciary Chairman Weston Newton, R-Bluffton, called Wednesday's ceremony 'a fulfillment of an overdue promise,' one made to a hospitality industry facing skyrocketing insurance costs and a shrinking number of carriers in the state willing to insure them because of previous laws passed by the Legislature. 'At no time should it be the government or the actions of government putting businesses out of business,' Senate President Thomas Alexander added. 'So today is about protecting businesses to make sure that they can be successful.' GOP leaders in the House had intended to focus this year simply on relief for restaurant owners. The new law does this by requiring all businesses that sell alcohol by the drink to have their servers complete alcohol training. In exchange, businesses can reduce what they pay for insurance. Installing scanners to verify that customers' IDs aren't fake, closing before midnight and increasing food sales are other options for buying down insurance costs. Insurance crisis is stopping new restaurants from opening, restaurateurs say To get the bill to the governor's desk, however, the House also agreed to include changes to rules governing personal injury lawsuits known as 'joint and several liability.' South Carolina's last attempt at such lawsuit reform, a law passed 20 years ago, held businesses responsible if they were more than 50% at fault. If no single business or person met that threshold, fault was divided proportionately. But lawsuits involving alcohol were specifically excluded from those rules, leaving them potentially owing 100% of damages, according to a statement from the governor's office. Ambiguity in the old law also impacted other businesses, as plaintiffs settled with smaller parties outside of court and only sued the person or group that could pay the biggest award. The compromise deletes the alcohol exclusion and requires the verdict form given to a jury to include everyone at fault when determining share of responsibility, including people and businesses that weren't named in a lawsuit. 'Getting to this day was not easy. At times disagreements and obstacles seemed impossible to overcome, rhetoric was sharp, emotions ran hot, and tempers flared,' McMaster said. Fights broke out on social media and right-wing influencers pumped out messages, resulting in even Donald Trump Jr. weighing in. 'From outside, there were some very deep, personal and I would call vicious attacks on some of our members in the Senate,' Alexander said. 'That's not South Carolina, and it's certainly not South Carolina at its best.' Ultimately, the GOP-controlled House and Senate came to an agreement. 'But I must say, our work is not finished. And we look forward to building on the momentum this bill signing — and the strength the coalition of leaders here — represents so that South Carolina can remain the economic development envy of our neighbors and of the entire country,' said Sara Hazzard, president of the S.C. Manufacturers Alliance. Hazzard and others hope to see a host of other issues, which were stripped from the Senate bill, addressed. That includes changes to medical malpractice and barring lawsuit extensions for construction defects that can stretch out liability beyond a decade. Most of the law's changes take effect Jan. 1, 2026.
